Alone
by Shy-Kitsune-B
Summary: Zack and Cloud are orphans, living on the streets in Niblehiem. Zack must protect Cloud from what ever tries to harm them


Alone

"Get back here." The man yelled, "You kids better give that back."

"Catch us is you can." The raven haired boy yelled. The boys ran through the streets of the town till they lost the shopkeeper. The boys sat down in an ally.

"Here, Eat." The boy gasped. The blond took the bread and took a bite. The blonde had bright blonde hair, and big sapphire blue eyes. He wore a baby blue t-shirt and a pair of old ratty blue jeans that had holes in the knees. The raven had black hair with a tint of dark blue that was only noticeable when the sun hit it just the right way, and violet eyes. He wore a black t-shirt with a few rips here and there, and a pair of tan shorts that came up to his knees. Both boys were covered in dirt.

"Zack?" The blonde murmured.

"Hmm." Zack hummed.

"I'm scared." The blonde admitted, looking down with tears in his blue eyes.

"Of what?" Zack asked hugging his 'brother'.

"Of what will happen to us." He mumbled.

"Cloud, everything will be fine, I'll protect you like I always have." Zack promised. Zack still remembers the day he found Cloud. Zack was six when he found a four year old Cloud curled up in an ally crying. He had been abandoned, so Zack took him and protected him, made sure he ate and slept. Zack became attached to Cloud from the minute he saw him curled up with tears staining is pale cheeks, and making his beautiful blue eyes red. Five years had passed since that day. Zack and Cloud have only gotten closer, they really were like brother. Cloud yawned bring Zack back to reality. He smiled.

"Come on its getting late, bed time." Zack exclaimed as he lifted the nine year old up and laid him on a pile of old blankets and pillows, and lay down next to him. Covering them both, Zack wrapped an arm around Cloud protectively and fell asleep.

A crash woke Zack and he shot up, looking around franticly. He could here cursing, movement at the entrance to the ally.

"Zack, what's going on?" Mumbled Cloud voice slurred from sleep.

"Shh, Cloud get out of here, meet me by the tree in the forest and don't look back." Zack demanded quietly. Clouds eyes filled with fear. He shook his head.

"But, I..." Cloud started to protest but Zack cut him off.

"Please Cloud." Zack begged. "Go, Now." He pushed Cloud towards the fence. Cloud nodded and ran, tears running down his face. Please be safe Zack was all that was running though Cloud mind. Cloud scaled the fence, only getting caught once and ran to the tree.

Zack could here them getting closer as Cloud disappeared into the night. Zack turned and looked the way the men were coming. Two men stepped into Zack line of vision. One man was tall about 5.7feet he had brown hair and black eyes. The other man was taller then the first about 6 feet he had black hair and brown eyes.

"Well if it isn't the little thief, where's your friend? Did he run off and leave you by your self." the man with the brown hair laughed.

"Brother, and he didn't leave me here it was my choice. What do you want?" Zack snarled through clenched teeth.

"We want the stuff you stole from us back." The man with black hair said.

"Well whatever money I stole from you is gone but you can have this." Zack threw them two empty coin purses and stuck his tongue out at them. They looked at the dirty coin purses and growled. The men started to walk towards Zack.

"You're going to pay kid." The man with black hair snarled. Zack backed up.

"What have I gotten my self into?" Zack mumbled under his breath. "At least Cloud is safe and that's all that matters." Zack backed into a wall with the two men getting closer.

"No where left to run kiddy." The man pointed out.

"Thank you, captain obvious." Zack murmured.

"What did you say brat?"

"I said, Thank You Captain Obvious!" The men growled and finally reached Zack.

Cloud ran as fast as he could to the tree. The trees he passed were a blur, he tripping over fallen tree branches. By the time he got there he was out of breath and had cuts on his knees and hands. Cloud collapsed and panted hard.

"Zack." Cloud looked up at the night sky. "Please be safe." A tear ran down the boy's cheek.

Zack was pushed against the wall, his face scraping the wall as he struggled to get away. The grip the man had in his hair hurt and he pulled his hair every time he moved.

"Tell us where your friend is and we will let you go." The black haired man spoke in to Zack's ears.

"Never," Zack spat. The man hit Zack's head against the wall. Zack bit his lip to keep from crying out. Blood ran down his head.

"Tell us." The man spat.

"You'll have to kill me first." Zack growled.

Cloud cried him-self to sleep under the tree that night. He was curled up, shaking lightly in the early autumn air. The crunching of dried leaves and the snapping of twigs woke him. Cloud sat up and looked for a place to hide. Cloud spotted a hollow log and ran over to it. He crawled inside and tried to calm himself, his breathing was fast and loud, who ever was out there would hear him for sure. Cloud managed to keep his breathing under control as the figure stepped in to the clearing and stood under the tree.

"Cloud? Cloud, where are you?" a familiar voice asked voice a little higher then a whisper. Cloud slid out of the log and ran over to the figure throwing his arms around it.

"Zack," Cloud cried holding on to Zack tighter. Cloud pulled back and looked at Zack's face and gasped. A cloth was wrapped around Zack's head; it was stained red with blood.

"You're hurt!" Cloud panicked. "We have to clean it and get it bandaged and ..." Zack covered Clouds mouth with his hand.

"I'm fine, don't worry Chocobo!" Zack smiled. Cloud raised his eyebrow.

"Chocobo? I'm not a bird." Cloud pouted. Zack laughed

"You look like one!" Zack argued. Cloud stuck out his tongue, then yawned

"Come on, let's go home." Zack said.

"But what if they go back." Zack stopped.

"I'll take care of them!"

"But you're hurt, you can't Zack we have to get out of here."

"And where are we supposed to go Cloud? We have no money to get a bus, and we are in the mountains so we can't walk and even if we could we don't have food or water. We would die if we left." Zack yelled, snapping at Cloud for the first time since they meet. Clouds eyes filled with tears.

"And we'll die if we stay here." He replied in no more then a whisper, tears running down his face. Clouds eyes showed hurt and fear.

"Your right, if we stay he we will die, if we leave will die." Zack sat on the ground defeated. A long silence passed over them. "We'll leave in the morning." Cloud nodded and sat down. "I'll go get some blankets and the money we have and I'll be back soon." Zack stood.

"Take me with you!" Cloud demanded standing up. Zack hesitated then sighed

"Your not going to take 'no' for an answer are you?" Cloud shook his head no, "Alright, lets go."

They made their way back to the ally quietly. When they got there the quickly grabbed blankets and the little money they had. Cloud grabbed his Chocobo plushy, he found on the ground after a festival about a year ago, and they set out back to the tree. Zack and Cloud curled up under the tree and fell asleep. When the sun rose the next morning, Cloud and Zack set off looking for a new a place to call home.


End file.
